The Russian authorities announced in December 2014 the Turkish Stream would replace the South Stream gas pipeline project

DUSHANBE, January 27. /TASS/. Turkey has granted all the permits required for the start of work on the Turkish Stream pipeline, Russia’s Deputy Energy Minister Anatoly Yanovsky told TASS.

"All permits have been obtained, those which are necessary," Yanovsky said.

Earlier, the head of Gazprom Alexey Miller said that in 2016 the holding in Russia finished creating facilities for the supply of gas to the Turkish Stream pipeline and that the Russian party is 100% ready for supplies. According to him, laying of t pipeline in the Black Sea will start in the second half of 2017.

The Russian authorities announced the Turkish Stream in December 2014 to replace the South Stream gas pipeline project. It was planned that the offshore section of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline would comprise four stretches with a capacity of 15.75 billion cubic meters each.

However, the negotiations on the project were subsequently suspended, including due to the crisis in bilateral relations. After talks held between Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Russian leader Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg in August 2016, a decision was made to resume the project, set up a working group and prepare a roadmap.

The pipeline was to stretch by 660 km along the old corridor of the South Stream and by 250 km - in the new corridor in the direction of the European part of Turkey. The project’s total cost is estimated at 11.4 bln euros, the cost of the first line is seen at 4.3 bln euros.

It is planned that Gazprom’s investment in the Turkish Stream project in 2017 will amount to 41.92 bln rubles ($700 mln) against 23.507 bln rubles ($392 mln) last year.